Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Learning Sciences and Human Development

Committee Chair

Paul Chapman

Abstract

West Virginia Senate Bill 247 mandated that local school systems develop and implement universal preschool programs for all four-year-old children and three-year-old children as mandated by federal law. This mandate was the impetus for West Virginia Policy 2525: West Virginia's Access to a Quality Early Education System. Within policy, local school systems are mandated to collaborate with licensed childcare providers and Head Start to make up at least 50% of the preschool classrooms. This descriptive qualitative case study investigated how the experience of compulsory collaboration required by WV policy 2525 is described by early education providers. The description of the experience by participants of collaboration among county school systems, local licensed childcare providers, and Head Start in counties in the state of West Virginia was studied. Through purposeful and criterion based sampling, and utilizing interviews, direct participant observations and a review of relevant documents a descriptive qualitative case study was researched. The findings rendered a highly descriptive picture of how these teams experience their work. This study includes detailed information from licensed childcare workers, Head Start, local school administrators, and community members to provide an in depth understanding of the collaborative sites. Yin (2009) wrote that "...high quality analysis requires attending to all the evidence collected" (p. 126). Results from the study can be used to inform policymakers, school superintendents, universal preschool program stakeholders, and early childcare providers.

Download

Share

COinS